低温退火的X射线W/Si多层膜应力和结构性能

W/Si多层膜反射镜在硬X射线天文望远镜中有重要应用. 为减小其应力对反射镜面形和望远镜分辨率的影响, 同时保证较高的反射率, 采用150, 175和200 ℃ 的低温退火工艺对采用磁控溅射镀制的W/Si周期多层膜进行后处理. 利用掠入射X射线反射测试和样品表面面形测试对退火前后W/Si多层膜的应力和结构进行表征. 结果表明, 在150 ℃ 退火3 h 后, 多层膜1级峰反射率和膜层结构几乎没有发生变化, 应力减少约27%; 在175 ℃ 退火3 h后, 多层膜膜层结构开始发生变化, 应力减少约50%; 在200 ℃退火3 h 后, 多层膜应力减小超过60%, 但1级布拉格峰反射率相对下降17%, 且膜层结构发生了较大变化. W, Si界面层的增大和相互扩散加剧是应力和反射率下降的主要原因.     

基于PHM的舰艇装备视情维修技术研究

针对PHM技术在舰艇装备视情维修中的应用需求,在分析剩余寿命预测机理的基础上,为解决舰艇装备历史数据少、状态变化普遍表现为非线性等难题,建立基于粒子滤波的多步剩余寿命预测模型,通过仿真表明：随着时间的推移剩余寿命PDF图变狭窄,剩余寿命预测误差逐渐降低,证明了预测方法的有效性。在此基础上,考虑装备维修费用最低为目标,建立以费用最低为目标的预防性维修时间确定模型,使得单位时间内的平均维修费用最低,并通过采用建立的基于粒子滤波的多步剩余寿命预测模型,最终确定了最优预防性维修时间,为装备保障人员拟订精确维修保障计划提供依据,也为舰艇装备开展视情维修奠定基础。     

Anisotropy analysis of the surface stress in Ag stepped surfaces with the modified embedded atom method

The surface stresses in Ag stepped surfaces (910), (710), (510), (410), (310), (210), (320), (430) and (540) have been calculated by using the modified embedded atom method (MEAM). The surface stresses in the surface plane τ_xx (along the step edge) and τ_yy (normal to the step edge) have similar orders of magnitude as the surface energy. For surfaces having the (100) and (110) terraces, the change of τ_xx and τ_yy is very small and the variation of the surface energy is smooth. The stress τ_zz (normal to the surface plane) is always tensile in the unrelaxed state. The linear variation of the change in surface energy per unit change in elastic strain , and (i.e. τ_xx ? γ, τ_yy ? γ and τ_zz) with the angle α between the (hk0) and (100) planes has a turning point corresponding to the (210) surface. The anisotropic ratio in the stepped surface having the (110) terrace is larger than that having the (100) terrace, and the wider the (110) terrace or the narrower the (100) terrace, the larger the ratio τ_yy/τ_xx. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of allantoin, hypoxanthine, xanthine, and uric acid in serum/plasma by CE

Allantoin (All) is an oxidative end product of purines in mammals. The small amount of All present in human plasma or serum results from free radical action on urate and may provide a stable marker of in vivo free radical activity. Because free radicals have been implicated in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, this study focused on the metabolic compounds of the All pathway. We propose a new fast CE (CE/UV) method for the simultaneous determination of All, uric acid (UA), hypoxanthine (HX), and xanthine (X) in human plasma. These products were quantified in the plasma of patients with chronic renal failure before hemodialysis (n = 6), patients with chronic heart failure (n = 6) and controls (n = 6). The filtered plasma were diluted ten-fold before the direct injection in CE/UV (195 nm), which allows separating the four compounds in less than 13 min. The metabolites were detectable at concentrations of 0.3-0.6 micromol/L. The method was linear over the range 0.5-150 micromol/L for All, HX, and X and 10-1500 micromol/L for UA (r > 0.99). The analytical performance of this method is satisfactory with intra-assay CV < 3.4%, inter-assay CV < 5% (HX and X < 7%), and recovery (93-101%). The proposed CE-UV method appears to be a useful tool for studying physiological and pathological changes of HX, UA, and All levels in plasma samples, the latter being a possible indicator of free radical damage in vivo.     

Explicit treatment of force contribution from alignment tensor using overdetermined linear equations and its application in NMR structure determination

Residual dipolar coupling (RDC) provides valuable information about the orientation of each internuclear vector in a macromolecule with respect to the static magnetic field. However, structure determination utilizing RDC still remains challenging without additional restraints such as NOE. In this context, a novel approach has been developed to efficiently extract structural information from RDC by successive application of singular value decomposition (SVD) method in the course of NMR structure determination. Force contribution from the alignment tensor is rigorously formulated in the context of SVD, and assessments have been made to verify its numerical accuracy. The efficacy of this approach is illustrated by showing that RDC restraints alone can restore a distorted beta-hairpin to native-like structure using the replica-exchange molecular dynamics simulations.     

Evaluation of GSH adducts of adrenaline in biological samples

The sustained high release of catecholamines to circulation is a deleterious condition that may induce toxicity, which seems to be partially related to the products formed by oxidation of catecholamines that can be further conjugated with glutathione (GSH). The aim of the present study was to develop a method for the determination of GSH adducts of adrenaline in biological samples. Two position isomers of the glutathion-S-yl-adrenaline were synthesized and characterized by HPLC using diode array, coulometric and mass detectors. A method for the extraction of these adducts from human plasma was also developed, based on adsorption to activated alumina, which showed adequate recoveries and proved to be crucial in removing interferences from plasma. The selectivity, precision and linearity of the method were all within the accepted values for these parameters. Furthermore, the sensitivity of this method allows the detection of adduct amounts that are within the range of the expected concentrations for these adducts under certain pathophysiological conditions and/or drug treatments. In conclusion, the development of this method allows the direct analysis of GSH adducts of adrenaline in human plasma, providing a valuable tool for the study of the catecholamine oxidation process and its related toxicity.     

Differential display identifies genes in chinese hamster ovary cells sensitive to elevated ammonium

Ammonium is a toxic waste product that has been reported to negatively inhibit cell growth and recombinant glycosylation in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells; however, the effect of this toxicity on intracellular gene expression has received only limited investigation. We used a differential display method to identify genes in CHO cells that were affected by ammonium stress. Eight genes whose mRNA levels significantly changed in response to elevated ammonium were isolated and identified. Five of the genes were identified as having lower expression under the ammonium stress, whereas three genes were identified as having higher expression. Sequence homology with other mammalian organisms was used to attribute function to these newly identified genes. The identified ammonium-sensitive genes were grouped into three broad functional groups: cellular processes, energy metabolism, and genetic-information processing. The three cellular process-related genes had lower expression (anaphase-promoting complex subunit 5, eukaryotic initiation factor 5A II, KIAA1091 protein). The two energy-related genes had higher expression under ammonium stress (adenosine triphosphate synthase subunit C and mitofusin 1). Both of the genetic information-processing genes (endoplasmic reticulum [ER]-resident protein ERdj5 and structure-specific recognition protein 1) had lower expression under the ammonium stress, whereas the 26S proteasome subunit adenosine triphosphatase 3 gene had higher expression. These preliminary results indicate that ammonium stress lowers expression of genes controlling cell cycle, protein folding, and quality and raises genes that control energy metabolism and degradation. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of mRNA differential-display techniques for the detection of CHO cell genes affected by ammonium stress.     

A synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy investigation of fungal hyphae grown under optimal and stressed conditions

Synchrotron FTIR can provide high spatial resolution (<10 μm pixel size) in situ biochemical analyses of intact biotissues, an area of increasing importance in the post-genomic era, as gene functions and gene networks are coming under direct scrutiny. With this technique, we can simultaneously assess multiple aspects of cell biochemistry and cytoplasmic composition. In this paper, we report the first results of our synchrotron FTIR examination of hyphae of three important fungal model systems, each with sequenced genomes and a wealth of research: Aspergillus, Neurospora, and Rhizopus. We have analyzed the FTIR maps of Aspergillus nidulans cells containing the hypA1 allele, a well-characterized single-gene temperature-sensitive morphogenetic mutation. The hypA1 cells resemble wildtype at 28 °C but have growth defects at 42 °C. We have also investigated Neurospora and Rhizopus cultures grown in media with optimal or elevated pH. Significant differences between the spectra of the three fungi are likely related to differences in composition and structure. In addition, high spatial resolution synchrotron FTIR spectroscopy provides an outstanding method for monitoring subtle subcellular changes that accompany environmental stress. Figure Photomicrographs and FTIR spectra acquired along Rhizopus hyphae grown at pH 6.5 (a) and pH 8.5 (b). Scale bars 50 μm     

Calibration of Stress-triaxiality Dependent Crack Formation Criteria: A New Hybrid Experimental–Numerical Method

A new experimental technique has been developed to investigate the onset of fracture in metals at low and intermediate stress triaxialities. The gage section of a flat specimen has been designed such that cracks are most likely to initiate within the specimen center, remote from the specimen boundaries. Along with the specimen, a biaxial testing device has been built to apply a well-defined displacement field to the specimen shoulders. The stress state within the specimen is adjusted by changing the biaxial loading angle. Using this new experimental technique, the crack initiation in metals can be studied experimentally for stress triaxialities ranging from 0.0 to 0.6. The stress and strain fields within the specimen gage section are determined from finite element analysis. The reliability of the computational model of the test set-up has been verified by comparing the simulation results with laser speckle-interferometric displacement measurements during testing. Sample experiments have been performed on the Al-7Si-Mg gravity die casting alloy. A three-step hybrid experimental–numerical calibration procedure has been proposed and applied to determine a phenomenological crack formation criterion for the Al-7Si-Mg alloy.

The mutual responses of higher plants to environment: physiological and microbiological aspects

Higher plants are different from animals in many aspects, but the important difference may be that plants are more easily influenced by environment. Plants have a series of fine mechanisms for responding to environmental changes, which has been established during their long-period evolution and artificial domestication. The relationship between higher plants and environment is influenced mutually. The component in environment provides higher plants with nutrients for shaping themselves and higher plants simultaneously bring photosynthetic products and metabolites to surroundings, which is the most important part of natural circle. Photosynthetic products are realized mainly by physiological mechanisms, and microbiological aspects in environment (for instance, soil environment) impact the above processes greatly. The complete understanding of the relationship will extremely promote the sustainable utilization of plant resources and make the best use of its current potential under different scales.